jeezlouisexo: January 2017

Friday 27 January 2017

The Blogger Tag

Hey everyone! Today I'm back with another tag post, even though I didn't get tagged by anyone (sorry not sorry) I just thought this would be a good way for my readers to get to know me a little better! So without further ado, let's get into it!


How tall are you?
I think I'm about 5'5 or 5'6. I haven't measured myself in a long time so it's a bit of a rough guess.

Do you have a hidden talent?
I wish! I'm pretty boring to be honest haha. I can't even whistle!

What's your biggest blog related pet peeve?
Probably when people literally just copy and paste someone else's post and try to pass it off as their own. I've only come across a couple of people who've done this but it's so annoying!

What's your biggest non-related blog pet peeve?
People that walk so slow in front of you that they might as well just stand still. Also people that stand in front of you when you're trying to get past. I made the mistake of getting a job in a supermarket so I have to deal with this every single day. UGH.

What's your favourite song?
I'm really loving Little Mix's new song Touch at the minute!

What's your favourite social media website?
Definitely Twitter, I'm constantly on it! Instagram is a close second though.

What’s your favourite way to spend your time when you’re alone?
I love to get curled up on the sofa and watch a film or start a new series on Netflix. 

Whats your favourite junk food?
Pizza. Or cheesy chips. Sometimes together, but then I feel really fat haha.

Do you have a pet or pet(s)? If so, what kind and what are their names?
Yes, I have a dog called Dexter. You can find out some more about him here.

What are your number one favourite non-fiction and fiction books?
My fave fiction book would probably have to be any of the Harry Potter books because who doesn't love Harry Potter?! And I don't think I have a fave non-fiction book, most of the ones I've read have just been rubbish celebrity biographies so yeah..

What’s your favourite beauty product or tool?
My favourite product is the Morphe 35O palette, the colours are to die for. My favourite tool is the Real Techniques Makeup Sponge, it applies my foundation flawlessly and I'd recommend it to anyone!

When were you last embarrassed? What happened?
I got embarrassed at work a couple of weeks ago by a friend who brought up my ex boyfriend and decided to make a few sarcastic comments and jokes. At the time, I wanted the ground to swallow me up but I can see the funny side to it all now.

If you could only drink one beverage (besides water) for the rest of your life what would it be?
I could happily drink Innocent fruit smoothies all day everyday! 

What’s your favourite movie?
The Green Mile.

What was your favourite lesson at school?
I really enjoyed Science, and thankfully I was quite good at it.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?
I would love to live in Australia, it's such a beautiful country!

PC or Mac?
I've always grown up with PC's but I recently got a MacBook and I love it!

Last romantic gesture from a crush, date, boy/girlfriend, spouse? 
(Or any kind gesture from a friend)
I wouldn't say it was very romantic but Ross came home from work the other day with some chocolate for me. That's about as romantic as we get haha.

Favourite celebrity?
I absolutely LOVE James Corden. I think he's hilarious and his Carpool Karaoke is one of my fave things ever!

What blogger do you secretly want to be best friends with?
I've made quite a few blogger friends so I don't think I could choose just one, I get on with them all so well!

Who is your biggest inspiration?
My biggest blogging inspiration is Zoella. I know loads of people were blogging before her but she changed the game completely for bloggers and YouTubers. She's so cute and I imagine is probably super nice!

What is your favourite blog to read?
I don't have a favourite at the minute but I'm always reading blogs!

What is your favourite high street shop?
Primark. I'm a sucker for a good bargain. Although I have to buy my jeans from Topshop since they're the only ones that fit me right which is a bit of a pain.

Are you in education or do you work?
I work part time at Sainsbury's. It's pretty boring, but it pays the bills.

One thing you are proud of?
I'm proud of the person I am, and I'm proud that I have a nice house and a happy little family with Ross and Dexter.

I have chosen to tag the following girls, can't wait to read yours!

Lily - Essentiallylily.co.uk
Rio - Riocorbett.wordpress.com
Devon - Devonmetcalfe.co.uk
Natasha - beautybynatasha16.blogspot.co.uk
Caity - cabface.co.uk
Freja - Frejalkane.co.uk
Evie - evangelineohara.com

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed!

Tuesday 24 January 2017

Top 5 Apps For Bloggers

Hey everyone! Today I'm going to be talking you through some of the apps I've been using that are perfect for bloggers.

Pinterest

This is sort of a new discovery for me, I'd usually use it for pinning stuff like fashion and beauty, but then I made a board specifically for blogging and it's gave me so much inspiration for my future posts and is perfect for anyone just starting out that isn't really sure on what they want to write about.

Twitter

This is hands down the best app for bloggers. It's usually where I get most of my traffic from and the only trick to Twitter is to stay active. Taking part in blogger chats is a great way to get noticed and I've met some of the nicest people on Twitter so it's also good for making new blogger friends!

Buffer

An app that I've only just discovered myself, Buffer is used for scheduling posts to your social media. For example, you could have a blog post scheduled for 5pm but you've made plans with friends. You can also schedule tweets to remind everyone on Twitter that your new post just went up! You can also check the analytics of posts and re-buffer things so you can always stay on top of your social media posts.

Instagram

I am completely obsessed with Instagram, but I definitely need to work on my posting game. I love checking up on friends and other bloggers to see what they're getting up to and when their next post might be up. It's a great way to promote your blog and other social media accounts, but what's also good is you can check the 'explore' page which is tailored to what you've recently liked and will show you more of that, so if you liked a photo of some blog inspo, you'll see more of that!

Notes

As much as I love writing things down in my notebook/diary, sometimes I don't have room in my handbag to be carrying them round with me. I've only recently started using Notes to jot down any blog post ideas I might have while I'm out and about, but it's perfect! It's just the bog standard notes app that comes with the iPhone but I find it's ideal for all those times when I need to jot something down but don't have a notebook with me. Plus, I've usually always got my phone in my hand anyway!

So that's my top 5 apps, I imagine there's probably a few good ones I've missed. Let me know in the comments what some of your faves are!


Saturday 14 January 2017

Birchbox January 2017

Hey everyone! Today's post is going to be a review and unboxing of January's Birchbox. I must admit with Christmas and New Year, I'd completely forgot about Birchbox until it arrived last week! This month's theme is Sprinkle of Happiness and it includes a variety of products to help kick off 2017 in the right way.

The first item I pulled out of the box is this shampoo from Kebelo. It has a deep cleansing formula that will essentially give your hair a detox from any product buildup or overstyling. I'm not really fussy with what shampoo I use, usually it's whatever is on offer to be honest. This shampoo doesn't have a very strong scent, but it does smell nice and I can't wait to try it.

The next item is a shave cream by Whish. I have a few products from Whish that I've received in previous Birchboxes and I love them! This is scented with acai and grapefruit which smells amazing! I'm quite lucky in that I don't have sensitive skin so I can test all sorts of products. I already own this shave cream in the almond scent and love that so I can't wait to use this one too!

Up next is this hand cream by Merci Handy. I've never heard of this brand before this product has the cutest packaging ever! Like most hand creams, this is designed to keep your hands super soft. As far as I know, there were a few variations of fragrance in this month's Birchbox and I received a cherry scented hand cream which smells lush! It's the perfect handbag size and I will probably use this to death!

 The next item I pulled out of the box is this concealer crayon from Lord & Berry. This is basically just a pencil that you use directly on the skin, blending with the fingertips. I received the shade Beige which, after swatching, might be the wrong shade for me but it is super creamy and I'm sure I'll be able to make it work!

Last but not least is this nail varnish from Nails Inc. The shade didn't really show up very well but it's a gorgeous dark green. Unfortunately, I can't wear nail varnish because of my job so I'm gonna have to give this away which is such a shame because the colour is so nice and I know Nails Inc are a really good brand!

That's everything in January's Birchbox, if you want to sign up click here. I hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts and I'll see you very soon!


Sunday 8 January 2017

2017 Goals

Hello everyone! First of all I want to wish you all a Happy New Year, I hope you celebrated in style!

I've never been a big fan of New Years Resolutions, purely because I have the worst will power known to man and fail epically every year. So this year, I've decided to set myself a few little goals that I know I can work on throughout the year. I'm probably not going to be really strict on myself, but I'm hoping I can stick to them this year!

Be more active on social media
I'm probably the worst when it comes to interaction on social media. Some days I'm responding to anyone and everyone's posts, then other days I'm just browsing through people's feeds not really reacting to anything. I'm hoping to be more active with people on all my social media platforms, not necessarily to gain a bigger following, just to make more friends online!

Be consistent with blogging
Okay so this one sounds fairly easy to stick to, but I know I'll probably struggle. Back in 2015, I had a blog for about 6 months, only posted once or twice a week, but lost all inspiration and just gave up. Then I relaunched in October 2016, and I'm hoping that I can post consistently, even if it is only a couple of times a week, as long as it's good content then I'll be happy.

Read more blogs
I'm constantly promoting my own blog on Twitter and Instagram and forever liking posts of other people's self promo, but I always forget to read their blog posts (horrible, I know!) But this year, I'm going to make a conscious effort to find new bloggers and regularly read their content and give feedback! There's nothing better than supporting each other, am i right!?

Be more self confident
This is one goal that will definitely be harder than the rest. For quite a while now I've struggled with my self confidence, and I imagine if I don't change something in my life then it'll only get worse. I'm hoping to find a way to work out that I enjoy, and maybe lose the weight that seems to have creeped up on me, and fingers crossed I'll be happier for it.

Save money
My final goal for 2017 is to save more money. At the minute my savings account has a lovely balance of 0. I'm hoping to save around £50 a month which might not seem like much but I know it will add up eventually. I've already given myself a budget of £40 for treats for myself whether it be makeup, clothes or other bits I don't really need. I'm not really saving for anything in particular, but hopefully in a few years Ross and I will have saved enough between us to put a deposit down for a house! 

Those are my goals for 2017, I'm hoping to do better than last year and actually stick to them! What are your goals for this year?